Project Management Course Research Articles

CO-DESIGNING CURRICULUM: FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCES OF UNDERGRADUATES CREATING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR THEIR PEERS

Abstract – The Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) program at McMaster University, W. Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology differentiates itself through its experiential and industry-driven approach to teaching and learning. The B.Tech program initiated a pilot faculty-student co-design project for the Project Management course delivered to third-year engineering technology students. In the past, the faculty has struggled to find a major project assignment that gives students workplace readiness skills in project management in a real-world context. The faculty and a fourth-year undergraduate student worked together to co-design a term long project, which treated their personal educational deliverables (e.g. course work, assessment deadlines, financial accountabilities), as a project to manage. The paper will bring together key perspectives from this pilot co-design experience, namely, the undergraduate course developer, faculty liaison, as well as feedback from the students in the course. The authors found that while students appreciated the accompanying project documentation, the co-design team must continue to demonstrate the usefulness of working with MS Project as software enabling workplace readiness.

Global Perceptions of Teams in Project Management

The importance of team building and teamwork cannot be over emphasized as more work is increasingly performed in teams. The success of teams can be influenced by the makeup of the team and the working relationship between team members. A group of individuals with the same perceptions and team values can form a more effective team with more effective teamwork activities resulting in more successful outcomes. The purpose of this research is to examine the perceptions of international students on teams and determine if culture is related to their perceptions of teams. The international students in a project management course were surveyed, and the findings suggest significant difference in perception of international students about the importance of team building skills and teamwork.

Practice and Exploration on Teaching Reform of Engineering Project Management Course in Universities Based on BIM Simulation Technology

With the rapid development of information technology and global popularization of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, the original teaching methods of engineering project management can no longer meet the needs of the times. Therefore, it is timely to propose innovative teaching reform programs. This article combines the new construction engineering technology with the Building Information Modeling (BIM) involving the visual simulation method, and introduces them into the teaching programs. The curriculum system design, curriculum content, the method of teaching, and the form of examination, etc., are determined mainly by analyzing the practice and application of BIM technology both at home and abroad, this analysis and practice is done in teaching reform, extensively making curriculum reform research and consulting expert opinions. These are in accordance with the current social reality and graduate employment direction. It explores the teaching reform methods of the course to achieve the purpose of making students understand and learn the course more intuitively and vividly and also to master project management theory and practical skills.

Enhancing project management course outcomes using an experiential learning approach

Project management skills have become increasingly important for information systems (IS) professionals. Like most skills, project management skills are developed through practice. This paper describes an innovative solution for integrating a structured project into an information systems curriculum project management course. The innovation applies best practices drawn from the experiential learning literature to the design of a course project. Our solution enhances students' project management knowledge and provides opportunities to apply that knowledge to develop project management skills. The paper presents the underlying theory, describes how that theory is incorporated in the project, provides and discusses the actual project so that others may use it as-is or adapt it to their courses, presents excerpts of students' reactions and concludes with several suggestions from the authors.

Health, safety and environment in the teaching of project management. The case of bachelor education in construction engineering in Norway

The construction industry uses project work as its main working method and is at the same time exposed to serious risks to health, safety and environment (HSE). Project managers play an important role to ensure high performance on HSE in construction projects, and the first position gained by many engineers after graduation is often the role of project manager.This paper examines how different aspects of HSE are included in the teaching of project management (PM) in the bachelor education of construction engineers in Norway. The examination includes analysing learning outcomes, curriculum, teaching and final exams in PM courses at the three largest educational institutions in respect to graduating bachelors in construction engineering in Norway.The findings show that the inclusion of HSE in PM courses varies and that students of construction engineering need to learn more about how to influence HSE in projects. Two elements are largely lacking in the education: 1) how to influence HSE performance during the early stages of construction projects, and 2) how to influence safety culture in projects. A stronger inclusion of these perspectives in teaching could improve the ability of future engineers to reinforce effective health and safety measures in the construction industry.

A construction project management knowledge model: The type and level of knowledge required

Construction project managers come from diverse backgrounds and may, therefore, lack the knowledge set currently required in order to be competent and effective in practice. The aim of this article is to establish the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level of each type of knowledge area required for a competent and effective construction project manager in South Africa. These levels of knowledge are important, in order to develop a proposed construction project management knowledge model to be used by the construction industry. A mixed methods research design was used, including structured questionnaires (n = 40), interviews (n = 10), and a single case study. The questionnaire survey, using closeended questions measured on a 5-point Likert scale, tests the importance of and rated the NQF qualification levels of each knowledge type fit for project managers in the built environment. The rating assisted in knowing to what knowledge depth project managers need to be educated and trained. Interviews were conducted with 10 construction professionals to obtain their views on the importance of industry-specific knowledge of a construction project manager and to critically review the form of knowledge considered essential. The case study of a building project to the value of R35 million was used to gain understanding of the impact that industry-specific knowledge, or the lack thereof, may have on the successful completion of a project. Results showed that qualifications to gain industry-specific knowledge should at least be on NQF level 6; a qualification on NQF level 7 is recommended to gain adequate project management knowledge (theory). These findings are important, as some construction project management courses in South Africa are currently below NQF level 6. This may be contributing to industry not producing construction project managers with the required knowledge set. The proposed model outlines the adequate knowledge sets and level thereof that can be used when designing training and educational degrees for construction project managers. The proposed model could also be used in practice as a guideline for placing or promoting construction project managers. Keywords: Construction project management, knowledge model, type of knowledge, NQF knowledge level, South Africa

Enhancing project management course outcomes using an experiential learning approach

Enhancing project management course outcomes using an experiential learning approach

Developing Personal Course Plans (PCPs) as an Example of Self-Directed Learning in Library Management and Project Management Education

ABSTRACTThis article examines the education of library (MLS) graduate students in courses of library management or in special topic courses in project management in libraries and information centers. To examine the specific skill of project management, a method was employed allowing students to set deadlines as a form of self-directed learning. The student-created syllabi milestones were piloted to search for a match between student abilities and development of project management processes upon degree completion. The use of a proposed and piloted technique was implemented here through a tool named the Personal Course Plan (PCP). It was designed to assist students in learning the value of setting personal schedules for their enrolled graduate course, much as a library project manager would use in practice in libraries. Personal Course Plans (PCPs) were effectively developed by students and allowed the ability to self-monitor their performance on completing project deliverables, meeting expectations of supervisors, and judging their own performance. As the experience was a positive one for both the instructor and students, this article provides not only an operational examination, but also proposes theoretical justification for using such a teaching method in library and information science education. Described are details LIS faculty should consider in implementing the method in teaching and gives future library employers of LIS program graduates a sense of what project management skills recent graduates are receiving.

Implementing Project Based Learning Pedagogy in Concrete Industry Project Management

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to carry out a mixed methods construction education study seeking to improve student learning. This study uses project-based learning (PrBL) and milestone deliverable pedagogy to teach a concrete industry project management course and compares the outcome to a control (non-PrBL) version of the same course. The intervention course was designed as a full semester learning experience for students. The students worked as project managers from start to finish constantly contributing to the completion of their team project. In the control scenario, delivered in Fall 2013, students were required to carry-out a traditional project due at the end of the semester. This study examines the impact of having the course project become the main learning mechanism and considers and measures the ways in which PrBL affects student performance. Pre and post questionnaires regarding self-perceptions of learning and skill development were administered and project and course grades were used to assess the impact of PrBL on the students’ performance. The questionnaires revealed a minimum increase of students’ perception of their understanding of 48%. The course grade comparison showed an average of 13% point increase in all student grades when the PrBL pedagogy was implemented.

Student Voice in Textbook Evaluation: Comparing OpStudent Voice in Textbook Evaluation: Comparing Open and Restricted Textbooksen and Restricted Textbooks

<p class="3">Advocates for student voice in higher education believe students should have the right and power to engage in much of the decision-making traditionally dominated by instructors or administrators. This qualitative study examines the role of student voice in the evaluation of textbook quality. Evaluators included two graduate students enrolled in a project management course at a university in the western U.S. and their instructor. Evaluators used their own student-created metric to analyze the comparative quality of eight graduate-level project management textbooks, two of which were open and six copyright-restricted. The purposes of this study were to assess the comparative quality of low-cost open textbooks and traditional copyright-restricted textbooks and to identify key student-generated criteria wherein all textbooks may be improved to better serve student needs. The analysis revealed that textbooks can be rigorously and meaningfully evaluated by students, that open textbooks can compete with restricted textbooks in terms of quality, and that polyphonic approaches to textbook evaluation can be valuable for learning. We discuss the implications of open textbooks as viable, high-quality classroom options, and the importance of valuing both student voice and instructor perspectives to ensure the highest quality textbook selection for courses in higher education.</p>

Academic Librarians at Institutions with LIS Programs Assert that Project Management Training is Valuable

A Review of:
 Serrano, S. C. & Avilés, R. A. (2016). Academic librarians and project management: An international study. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 16(3), 465-475. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/pla.2016.0038
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – To investigate academic librarians’ project management education and training, project management skills and experiences, and perceptions of project management courses within the library and information science (LIS) curriculum.
 
 Design – Online questionnaire.
 
 Setting – 70 universities worldwide with LIS programs and at least one project management course. 
 
 Subjects – 4,979 academic librarians were invited to complete the online questionnaire; 649 librarians participated.
 
 Methods – From the identified institutions, the authors invited academic librarians to participate in a 17-question survey via e-mail. The survey was available in both English and Spanish and was validated via a pilot trial. A total of 649 individuals participated, for a response rate of 13%. The survey included questions related to geographic region and institution affiliation, university education and librarian training associated with project management, project participation and use of project management software or methods, and project management courses in LIS curriculums, and a final open-ended comment section. 
 
 Main Results – Of the 649 librarians who participated in the survey, 372 were from North and South America (58%). The next highest number of responses came from Europe (38%), followed by low response rates from Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Respondents reported working in a variety of library departments and identified themselves as being one of a director or manager, assistant librarian, or library page. Of the 436 respondents who reported having a university degree, 215 attended an LIS Master’s level program, and 12 studied at the doctoral level. The majority of respondents indicated they have had training in project management, participating in formal coursework, conferences, webinars, or other self-directed learning methods. Of the 459 academic library staff responding to the question, 40% considered project management courses of “high importance in the university curriculum” and 26 % responded that project management courses were “extremely important in their field of expertise and working environment” (p. 472). The consensus among participants was that project management courses should be included in both undergraduate and graduate level LIS curricula.
 
 Conclusion – The high participation of librarians in project management, compared to the limited formal education received, suggests that courses in project management, including software and methodology, are needed in LIS university curricula. Additionally, less than 40% of academic librarian survey respondents were trained in LIS; other professions are working as librarians and therefore may have insufficient knowledge and skills to manage the projects they direct. The research results confirm the relationship between strategic planning and project management skills. The authors conclude that universities should revise their LIS curricula to include and require additional project management courses.

CDIO-Based Teaching Reform for Software Project Management Course

CDIO-Based Teaching Reform for Software Project Management Course

Student Perceptions of the Use of Multimedia for Online Course Communication

A great deal of research exists in the use of multimedia communications in online classrooms as a means of furthering student engagement. However, little research exists that examines the perceptions of students when such technologies are used. Additionally, it is unclear that students are likely to engage in the use of such technologies when available. This research explores the perceptions of 69 students taking both online and hybrid undergraduate project management courses. Specifically, the study seeks to explore how students experienced the use of multimedia by their instructor and classmates in both online announcements and discussions, as well as whether these same students used or would be likely to use multimedia for similar communications. Finally, student perceptions of social presence, the degree to which one is perceived as a real person in computer-mediated communication (Gunawardena, 1995), are examined. The results of the study indicate that while students overwhelming enjoy the instructor’s use of multimedia communication, they are unlikely to engage in using these technologies themselves. A discussion of these results and recommendations for further research complete this paper.

Responsible forms of project management education: Theoretical plurality and reflective pedagogies

The paper aims to revive an interest in the notion of responsible project management education (RPME) in the context of related contemporary debates about the integration of reflexivity, ethics and sustainability in the business schools' curricula; the purpose, values and effectiveness of university education; and practical relevance of business and management courses, to mention only a few. We offer an interpretation of what RPME at university level may mean concerning the practice of curriculum design and pedagogy of project management courses in light of a perceived nature of project management theory and the field as practised. We argue that responsible project management education should make the theorising of the process of projectification, relational complexity and practical wisdom (combining prudence, instrumental and value rationality) accessible and appealing to all involved and should pursue experiential reflective learning. To illustrate how it may work in practice, we reflect on our longstanding experience with designing and delivering a PM module for an MBA programme. Apart from the challenge with maintaining the requisite diversity of the teaching team and practitioners' input into the course, we illuminate some benefits and challenges as perceived by the participating students. These are: discomfort caused by encountering a different ‘project management’; excitement in embracing the unexpected; light-bulb moments in redefining one's own understanding of PM practice and in finding a new way of understanding and dealing with a specific situation in the workplace.

Managing change at Urban Affordable Housing

Synopsis Urban Affordable Housing (UAH) Inc. was a real estate asset management syndication firm that sponsored affordable housing to low-income families and seniors across the USA. The case examines the firm’s management of an internal information technology (IT) change initiative. The case follows the firm’s recently hired IT manager, Anthony Bryant, as he works to change a culture while acquiring resources and acceptance for the project he was hired to oversee. Bryant deals with numerous changing priorities, inadequate sponsorship, resistance from various levels, and a dearth of resources as he struggles to get the organization to complete an overdue database conversion. Research methodology This case is based upon the firsthand experiences of the lead author over a seven-year period while working at UAH. Measures have been taken to disguise the firm’s identity, including using a pseudonym, fictitious names for firm employees, a fictitious location, and the alteration of key dates. Key elements of the case have been constructed around semi-structured interviews and the review of archival documentation. Most quotes are verbatim in an attempt to preserve their authenticity, and were drawn from the semi-structured interviews and from historical accounts of actual occurrences and conversations. Relevant courses and levels The UAH case is multi-faceted, as it can be used in a number of environments amid a business school curriculum. A primary use is likely in a course revolving around organizational change and development. It might also be featured as part of the organizational change component in a course on organizational behavior, used to illustrate and analyze organizational culture and change leadership. Furthermore, the case could be used for change-related topics in management information systems or project management courses. The authors suggest the case be assigned at the graduate level, though it could also be suitable for an advanced undergraduate class. Theoretical bases Critical knowledge for successfully analyzing this case includes the following concepts: the change process (Lewin, 1951); leading change (Kotter, 1996); resistance to change (Kegan and Lahey, 2001); and communicating change (Armenakis and Harris, 2002).

A Survey on Clinical Research Training Status and Needs in Public Hospitals from Shenzhen

Objective: To obtain information on the current clinical research training status and evaluate the training needs comprehensively for medical staff in hospitals.Methods: This survey was initiated and conducted by the Health and Family Planning Commission of Shenzhen in conjunction with the Peking University Clinical Research Institute (Shenzhen) from Sep 2016 through Nov 2016. It was planned that no less than 10% of the total staff from each participating hospital were invited to complete the survey. All participants filled out the questionnaire anonymously and voluntarily.Results: A total of 644 subjects from 12 hospitals completed the survey with the response rate of 28.7%. The majority of respondents (80%) have attended training related to clinical research knowledge and skills, however, medical research ethical aspects and statistics knowledge have been provided only for 40% and 27% of respondents, respectively. With regard to preference on training subjects and contents, Protocol design and development (74%) is ranked first, followed by the data analysis and summary (59%) among those researchers from medical professions. Project management and quality control course are mostly demanded for technicians and nurses (53%). Unpredictably, no more than 40% of the respondents consider that it is necessary to receive “Regulation and Research ethics” course even for those Principal investigators.Conclusions: Our survey results indicated that training subjects on protocol design and research ethics are urgently needed and relatively inadequate in China. An appropriate clinical research competency training model should be developed and provided for hospital staffs in China.

The endurance test: A virtual project team's lived experience in an online project management course

This case study examines longitudinal data stored in the learning management system (LMS) of an online MBA program’s project management course to understand and describe the lived experience of a virtual student team that exhibited difficulty delivering a term project. Testing the constructs of a theoretical model previously proposed in literature, the findings consider whether the model design can be applied in a specific situation and suggests additional case studies are warranted for further understanding. The findings also confirmed two concerns. First, unless students actively contact their instructor to escalate feedback about progress, it is difficult to assess a given student’s contribution to virtual team projects. Second, the instructor actively solicited feedback and facilitated closure to compensate for a lack of student accountability, prompting concern about whether requiring an online instructor’s constant oversight and engagement is an optimal strategy for effective project delivery on virtual student teams.

Assessing students’ sentiments towards the use of a Building Information Modelling (BIM) learning platform in a construction project management course

ABSTRACTBuilding Information Modelling (BIM) tools and processes are increasingly adopted and implemented in the construction industry. Consequently, BIM education is considered increasingly important in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) education. While most of the research and literature on BIM education in engineering studies has focused on BIM implementation strategies, processes, benefits, and challenges, there is limited study on students’ perception towards the implementation of BIM courses, or about online BIM learning platforms, or about the BIM tools themselves. Therefore, this paper takes the first steps towards addressing this gap. This study analyses students’ (57 students) perception and sentiments towards the use of an online BIM learning platform and explores the potential implications of the findings for BIM education. The findings suggest that online BIM learning platforms are highly rated by students as a positive learning experience, indicating the need for greater integration of such tools and approaches in AEC courses.

Understanding telecommunications business (valdar, a. and morfett, i.; 2016) [book review

When an engineer thinks about the IT industry, a tendency to consider only the technical side of it is likely to appear. That is quite natural as successes in this area are obviously related to the innovation and exciting inventions that are presented throughout the pages of our magazine. However, as in the case of each industry, there are also other very important aspects, i.e., economic, legal, etc. Therefore, to be effective in practical IT, a network specialist needs not only to be expert in one’s own field; they also need to be aware of the general business context, since in many cases this is the source of inspiration or, on the other hand, problems influencing the every-day operation. This book authored by two distinguished practitioners will help with getting the required knowledge. The content is divided into 10 chapters, each of which is some 30-40 pages long. Hence, it is possible to get acquainted with a single piece of the presented material during an afternoon. While almost all of the presented notions are described in the context of IT issues, some of the chapters cover very general economic problems related to business operation: business strategy concepts; corporate finance and governance; customers and marketing; and people and organizational development. These general topics are intertwined with the chapters detailing specific aspects of the field interesting for us: regulation in telecommunications along with the recent emphasis on opening markets, economics of network design, and the management of networks and services. Although throughout the book the British perspective of the authors is seen, there are many examples covering European, American and (rarely) Asian markets. Anyway, globalization, so important for today’s big IT businesses, is tangible for the reader. The book can be recommended to students as a handbook, being a perfect supplement for the lectures on entrepreneurship or practical project management courses that are typically a part of the curriculum for a future IT engineers. This is also a good summary of various aspects of networking from the organizational and global viewpoint, a perspective that might sometimes be lost when a student encounters various topics covered during different courses separately. On the other hand, the book will be useful for network specialists who would like to understand what are the basic categories of thinking for management or marketing staff. “

The application and practical benefits of “C theory” in project management

This study regarded adult in-service students who are familiar with project management courses as the subjects and collected data through questionnaires for confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis. The aim is to construct a “C Theory” questionnaire scale that encompasses the essence of Chinese management philosophy like decision-making of Taoism, leadership of Legalism, tactics of School of Military Strategists, creativity of Mohism, and coordination of Confucianism. Furthermore, management performance scales were constructed for learning and growth, internal operation, customer satisfaction, and financial control, while the questionnaires and statistical analyses were expected to probe into the impact of “C Theory” on project management performance. This study found that the application and practice of “C Theory” have a high and positive correlation with project management and a significant influence on the improvement of performance. It is therefore suggested that management methods in “C Theory” be appropriately used in project management in order to enhance the efficiency of project management and facilitate the achievement of project management targets.